Annual Number Of N.J. Measles Cases Fast Approaching Recent 2-Year Total

The number of measles cases in New Jersey this year is fast approaching the total from the previous two years and it isn't even February yet.

There have already been two confirmed measles cases in New Jersey this year. A unvaccinated 7-month-old was diagnosed in Wayne earlier this month. In a separate incident, a Hudson County man may have exposed individuals at several public places in Jersey City. There were no reported cases last year and just three the year before that.

RELATED: Measles Case Confirmed At Wayne Hospital: State Health Officials

The recent cases were reported after the man and the baby traveled overseas. The cases are not related, state health officials previously said.

Dawn Thomas, a spokesperson with the state Department of Health, said that "occasionally" measles cases are reported in New Jersey and stressed the need for people to be vaccinated.

"Two doses of measles vaccine is more than 99 percent effective in preventing measles," Thomas said. "Residents that think they were exposed to the individuals in Hudson and Passaic counties, should contact a healthcare provider."

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